Our Opinions Are Correct cover image

Our Opinions Are Correct

How to turn a story into a deadly weapon

May 2, 2024
Annalee, author of Stories Are Weapons, discusses psychological warfare in the U.S., highlighting culture wars and resistance to propaganda. Topics include psyops, influence campaigns, indigenous rights, community storytelling, book adaptations with potatoes, mirror selves in Star Trek, and interpretations in creative works.
53:34

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Stories can be utilized as psychological weapons in military and culture wars.
  • Speculative fiction can challenge coherence by pushing absurdism to extremes.

Deep dives

Absurdism and Speculative Fiction

In speculative fiction, the connection to absurdism is evident through the use of speculative elements to push real aspects to absurd extremes or to introduce bizarre elements into a realistic setting, highlighting the absurdity of human society and reactions. Absurdism can serve to challenge the perception that the world makes sense, puncturing a sense of false coherence. However, there can be concerns that absurdism, if not carefully navigated, could inadvertently create chaos that authoritarian figures might exploit by presenting themselves as stable in an unstable world.

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